


Is It Enough?

by WriterFreak001



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Brief suggestion of Suicidal Thoughts, F/M, Uplifting at the end
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-09-18 23:11:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9407075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterFreak001/pseuds/WriterFreak001
Summary: But he had screwed up so much since Tim invaded Scorpion, that there was no way Paige would ever look at him the way she used to.It had been months since he’d seen her smile. Months since she laughed. Months since she purposely touched his arm to assure him things were going to be all right. She hated him now. She couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him if she could avoid it, and she was always so quick to leave after she was finished with her Scorpion duties.





	1. Chapter 1

**This idea came to me the other day and wouldn’t leave me alone in peace so I sat down at my computer and decided to play with it. This will be a three-part story.**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

** Disclaimer: ** **I am not a psychologist by any means.**

* * *

 

**WARNING:**

**The beginning of the first chapter is pretty dark and includes some suggestive suicidal thoughts.**

* * *

 

** Is it Enough? **

**Written by WriterFreak001**

****

** Part 1 **

**~ SCORPION ~**

He never told the team how depressed he had been these past few months and how his depression had worsened because he couldn’t stand any more scrutiny from his friends as he quietly dealt with his unrequited feelings for Paige.

Nobody seemed to be on his side as of lately, and the isolation he continued to feel had been depressing him, eating him alive and chewing him back out in a crumpled mess. He would never admit it to anyone, but whenever he felt the loneliest, he would find himself crumbling to the ground and slamming his fists against the floor in a rage meant to be directed at Timothy Armstrong. He hated that man more than he hated anybody, but in his self-despair, he had begun to loath himself the most. Had he not been an idiot, had he been more courageous and more forthcoming about his feelings for Paige Dineen, she wouldn’t have chosen Tim.

But he had screwed up so much since Tim invaded Scorpion, that there was no way Paige would ever look at him the way she used to.

It had been months since he’d seen her smile. Months since she laughed. Months since she purposely touched his arm to assure him things were going to be all right. She hated him now. She couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him if she could avoid it, and she was always so quick to leave after she was finished with her Scorpion duties.

In spite of her anger towards him, what hurt him the most was her decision to stop bringing Ralph to the garage on the days she didn’t work. He missed spending time with her son, and unless it was in passing before the carpool picked him up, Walter hardly ever saw him anymore, and that made him entirely jealous at everybody else because Paige let _them_ hang out with her son.

But not him.

She didn’t trust him anymore, and he was beginning to wonder if anybody cared about him at all.  

If _Cabe_ cared, he wouldn’t have stopped him from telling Paige he loved her.

If _Toby_ cared, he would have stopped rubbing Tim’s presence in his face and would have kept his trap shut about him moving on. Walter couldn’t move on. He loved her. He _loved_ Paige.

If Happy cared, she would have said something, _anything_ to encourage him to fight for the one he loved. She did so before the Tahoe disaster, but she, too, seemed to have given up on him.

If Sylvester cared, wouldn’t he have offered him a hug or let him see Ralph for five seconds before whisking him away for their weekend outing? Sylvester _knew_ how much Walter loved the boy, so why would he keep Ralph all to himself?

If… If Ralph cared… If Paige cared….

Walter could never finish those thoughts in his head. Those two were the most important people to him, but maybe he wasn’t as important to them as he thought.

Walter O’Brien was a failure to everybody, and he hated himself for it.

**…**

“So, tell me, Walter,” Dr. Cecil Rizzuto leaned forward, spreading his legs further open, “do you regret not telling Paige you love her?”

“Every day,” came Walter’s brief answer. He didn’t feel the need to elaborate.

“You’ve mentioned, several times, that you’ve tried to tell her, but people are constantly telling you to back off. We never discussed it in full depth, but, how does that make you feel?”

Walter shrugged. “At first, depressed, because I couldn’t understand why a friend would stop me from telling her when, for almost a year, all of them had been rooting and cheering for us to admit our feelings and establish a relationship. They were subtle about it, for the most part, but now that I know I love her, I can reflect upon and remember all of the instances my friends have tried pushing us together.” Walter clenched his fists as his voice darkened. “And then that depression started to turn into anger. I was angry, mostly at Toby and at Cabe, even though I didn’t reveal my anger to them.”

Dr. Cecil hummed to himself and jotted a few things down. “You say you’re angry at your friends, but… what about yourself? You’re the one who initially held yourself back from a real chance of being with Paige when you – as you said last week – presented her with tickets to a festival in Tahoe. Are you _really_ angry at your friends, or, are you just angry at yourself and need a target to displace what you feel on the inside?”

Walter swallowed hard. “I never thought about it that way.”

“Enlighten me, Walter,” Dr. Cecil mused as he gave the genius a small smile, “do you think – with as many insecurities you have – a relationship with Paige would have been successful if you had tried dating when the two of you kissed for the first time?”

Walter was silent for a moment before answering honestly. “No.”

“And why not?”

“Because back then, I was an idiot. I refused to acknowledge my feelings for her, and because my love for her was so strong, even then, the prospect of establishing a relationship with her in that current moment frightened me. I have worked so hard to establish a strong company, and I couldn’t afford any distractions, and she claimed she understood my reasons for not wanting a relationship at that time. But even when we decided to remain professional, we slowly started growing closer in spite of our boundaries, and I was reconsidering our decision for weeks, but… as usual, I screwed up big time and pushed her away so much, she started dating the interloper.” Walter clenched his fists again. “And I _keep_ screwing up, and she blames me for Tim’s departure. It’s been a month since Tim left for Jordan, and she can hardly look at me.”

“Interesting.” Dr. Cecil noted, and Walter’s curiosity bested him.

“What’s interesting?”

“Based on your monologue, it seems you didn’t feel as threatened when Tim was around, and I wonder if it’s because you were able to observe Paige and Tim’s relationship more closely and gauge whether or not you still had a chance with her.  With Tim gone, you don’t know how much closer he and Paige have become, and that’s more problematic to you than anything. At least when he was here, you had a little more control within your court.” Dr. Cecil licked his pen and tapped it against the paper before writing again, but he noticed Walter’s tense form. “You have a different theory.”

“I won’t lie. I hated Tim and will forever hate him for sweeping Paige off of her feet when _he knew_ we had a thing between us. At least, he should have suspected we had a thing since he claimed to be much more adept in romance than I’ll ever be,” Walter inhaled a deep breath, “but the reason I tolerated him, the reason I put up with him for so long, was because of Paige. She liked him, maybe even started to love him, I don’t know, and I don’t want to think about it, but despite how much hatred I reserve for the man, Paige was happy, and her happiness matters most to me over any hatred I have for her boyfriend. Like I said, when he left, I thought the dynamic would return back to the way it was before his interference, but it’s worse. I could handle Paige being happy and always smiling and sometimes being friendly towards me, but,” he scratched the back of his neck and gazed at the floor, “her constant anger and avoidance scares me because as every day passes by, my fear of her leaving Scorpion and taking Ralph away grows stronger, and I hate it!”

Walter’s nose flared as he blinked back his tears. “I love her, and I will forever love her, but if she’s happier when she’s not around me, then I guess that’s how it’s going to be.” He gritted his teeth. “Maybe I should terminate her involvement in Scorpion; that’s the only way I’ll ever be able to move past this. Then she wouldn’t feel tied down here and would be able to reunite with Tim in Amman.”

“But what of Ralph?” Dr. Cecil questioned, cocking an eyebrow. “If you fire her, and she moves to Jordan and takes Ralph away from you, the one person he gets more than anybody else in the world, how would that affect him.”

Walter sighed. “It wouldn’t be good.” He inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly as he leaned backwards and crossed his arms. “Ralph’s involvement in my life has been strictly limited, but his mom lets him hang out with the other members of my team. I wouldn’t dare threaten to take his friends away from him. I’m _not_ Drew.”

“I’m assuming Drew is Ralph’s father?”

Walter only nodded.

Dr. Cecil stood up and stretched his back before sitting back down. “We’re almost out of time, but humor me for a second. You said you could tolerate it more if Tim was still in the US, yes?”

“That would be correct.”

“All because his presence makes Paige happy.”

“Also correct.”

“So, that means, it’s enough for you to see Paige and Tim get married one day as long as the woman you love is happy, yes?”

“If it meant she would still be talking to me, then yes. It would be enough.”

“And would your love for her be fulfilled if she ever had more kids with Tim?”

Walter blanched at the thought but quickly recovered. “Yes, if that ever happened, then yes. Seeing Paige happy is all I need to function.”

Dr. Cecil smiled, and Walter knew he was leading him into some sort of trap. “Now let’s turn the question around. Consider yourself in a relationship with Miss Dineen. How would you feel if you two married and had kids together instead?”

Walter closed his eyes at the pleasant thought of Paige becoming his wife and one day bearing his children. “I would be the happiest man alive if I was the one she was happiest with.”

“And how would you treat her as your wife?”

Walter’s eye lashes fluttered as he slowly smiled. “I’d worship the ground she walked on and give her everything she’d would ever want. I’d make her feel like the most treasured woman in the world simply because of how much I love her.”

“And now Tim’s gone, and you have every opportunity to tell her without his interference,” Dr. Cecil muttered in a hypnotic tone.

“Yes, and now that Tim’s gone, I could tell her any time I want.” Walter repeated with a little smile his lips. And then his heart jumped, his love for Paige reviving itself throughout his body, and he jumped up from his seat and grabbed his phone from between the seat cushions. “I… I gotta go!”

Dr. Cecil laughed as Walter scrambled out of his office, his renewed love for Paige leading him the way to the woman he loved. The shrink clapped his hands together and beamed widely. Walter’s come a long way since he started therapy, and he hoped – as much as he enjoyed the kid’s company – he would never have to see him again.

He checked his watch when he eventually heard a soft knock on the door, and he grinned. “Miss Dineen,” he said as he opened the door to his office, “you’re right on time.”

**~ SCORPION ~**

**WriterFreak001:**

This story should be updated quickly. ;)

I hope you enjoyed this first part and don’t forget to let me know how you liked it!! :D

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**I apologize for not updating this when I said I would. Upon being sick for two weeks afterwards, working 3 jobs and working on other projects for the fandom (i.e. collab fic & gifs), I kept pushing this update further away!! (And I have a bad habit of doing that, as you all know). **

**Things to know about this chapter: As you read, you might uncover some inconsistencies in Paige’s couch time with Dr. Rizzuto that might conflict with Walter’s couch time in the previous chapter. That’s okay. That’s meant to happen. ;) It’s to show you their various points of view during this whole situation.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the second installment!**

** Disclaimer: ** **I am not a psychologist by any means.**

* * *

 

** Is it Enough? **

**Written by WriterFreak001**

****

** Part 2 **

**~ S** **CORPION ~**

Walter didn’t know how many times he’d been knocking on the apartment door, but after five minutes of restlessly waiting for someone to unlock the bolt, he decided to pull out his phone and call her. If she wasn’t at home, he would go to wherever she was, and he would tell her exactly how he felt. He had spent too long worried about the risks and the repercussions of interrupting Paige’s relationship with Tim, but he was done beating around the bush. He was done hiding in his loft whenever she dropped Ralph off, and he was certainly done believing that she was the only one allowed to be happy. He deserved happiness too, and if she rejected him, fine. He’ll tell her again tomorrow that he loves her, and he’ll continue to tell her every single day, her relationship with Tim be damned.

When she didn’t answer her phone, he decided to sit down next to her door and lean against the metal frame. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath to calm his jittery nerves.

For however long it would take, he would wait.

**…**

“I hope you weren’t waiting long,” Paige smiled as she made her way to the couch where, not too long ago, Walter had been sitting. As she made herself comfortable and leaned back against the soft, plushy sofa, Paige sniffed the cushions and grinned a little wider. “Fresh pine. I love it.”

Dr. Cecil returned her smile and decided not to tell her she was smelling the leftover scent of Walter’s deodorant. “It’s very good to see you again, Paige.”

“Same here,” the woman replied as she brought her knees upward and wrapped her arms around her ankles. “How’s the family doing?”

“The kids are doing great,” he paused to take off his glasses and clean the left lens. “Thank you for asking.” He waited a beat. “How’s Ralph?”

Paige’s smile fell a little as she looked towards her knees. “He… I think he’s… withdrawing from me.”

“Oh?” The shrink lifted his eyebrows and feigned surprise. “I’m sorry to hear that. You want to talk about it?”

The woman sighed but nodded and let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “I… I haven’t been the greatest mom lately…. As you know, I’ve been upset with Walter lately…, and I think my personal grudge against him has… unintentionally… had a negative impact on Ralph.”

“How so?”

“Well…,” she pursed her lips and twirled a strand of hair around her finger, “he absolutely adores Walter and looks up to him more than any man I know, and…” she combed her fingers through her hair and frowned, “well…, because I’ve been keeping my distance from Walter for the past month, I think I’ve placed strain on his relationship with Walter. Toby’s told me that Walter hardly comes down from the loft anymore…. Ralph barely sees him, and I don’t get why Walter can’t pull that stick out of his ass and just go downstairs to see my son every once in a damn while!” Paige clenched her fists. “I mean, who the hell does he think he is, anyway?! This whole mess is his fault, and he can’t even own up to it and face the goddamn world! And because of that, my son is depressed and closing up and I don’t know what the hell I should do!”

Dr. Cecil waited a beat to see if Paige had to say anything more before speaking. He leaned over and picked up his cup of coffee, sipping the steamy liquid slowly before turning his attention to the woman. “Last session, you told me you were angry at Walter because of everything you’ve stated, but it seems to me you’re angry at him for a different reason, one you might not understand yourself yet.” He hummed and took another sip of his coffee, “How often have you been abandoned in your life, Paige?”

“Huh?” Her eyes went really wide. “How is that relevant?”

He didn’t answer her question. “How many times?”

The woman grew silent. “I’m not comfortable answering that.”

Dr. Cecil decided to go with a different angle. “Okay, then… How often do you feel like Walter has abandoned you and your son?”

For a moment, Paige didn’t speak.

“With Ralph, until recently, never.”

“And why do you think he’s abandoned Ralph now?”

“I just said!” Paige threw her hands up into the air, fuming. “He won’t make an effort to see my son! He just stays in his loft all day when I bring him over!”

Dr. Cecil knew his line of questions were going to get more brutal as Paige answers them, but until they get to the bottom of her residual feelings for Walter – the main reason she started coming to see him – he wasn’t going to stop. “Did you ever ask Walter why he’s keeping his distance?”

“And why would I ask that?” Paige frowned.

“Because he’s upsetting your son, and you feel the need to protect your kin.” Dr. Cecil shrugged, and Paige sighed. “Okay, if you haven’t, then why do _you_ think Walter is keeping his distance?”

Paige scoffed a little. “Because he’s being immature? I don’t know.”

“Interesting…,” Dr. Cecil mumbled as he jotted a little note down into his notebook. “And you think keeping your distance from the garage when the company isn’t working a case isn’t acting immature?”

“I…,” Paige opened and closed her mouth, but eventually said, “It’s different.”

“Is it really?”

Paige thought for a moment and leaned forward as she sighed into her hands. “No. It isn’t.”

“You’re maintaining your distance because you’re angry with him. That’s understandable. I’ve spoken to Dr. Curtis, and according to him, Walter doesn’t show any signs of anger towards you for being angry with him. So, that makes me wonder, if he’s not angry…, why is he keeping his distance?”

Paige didn’t know how to answer that question. “I don’t know.”

Dr. Cecil clicked his pen and hummed for a moment. “Did you ask him to stay away?”

“Of course not,” Paige frowned. “I just… stopped showing up at the garage unless I was needed. Occasionally I would bring Ralph, mostly because he had an outing scheduled with Sly or Toby and Happy, but I never once told Walter to stay away from my son.”

“What about from you?”

Paige hesitated to answer. “No. N-Never from me.”

“And yet he still keeps his distance,” Dr. Cecil mused as he placed his mug back down onto the coffee table. “Paige…, what do you fear the most in your life?”

The woman glanced at the counselor and quietly replied, “Abandonment.”

“Before Walter, how often have you been abandoned in your life,” Dr. Cecil asked, coming full circle to his original question. He waited patiently and counted fifty-three ticks before Paige finally answered.

“My mom abandoned my father and me when I was a pre-teen, and then my father died about a year later. I was forced to live with my aunt for a while until I turned 18, and even though she didn’t physically abandon me, I could tell I was an extra burden. She had a falling out with my mom when was pregnant with me, so in a sense, I felt abandoned again because I couldn’t depend on Aunt Rosie when I needed her the most. And then there was Drew…. Things were solid with him for a while, and after we had Ralph, for a couple years, we were able to work out our issues, but… just like my mom, he left one day and never came back.” Paige quickly wiped away her tears and sniffed loudly. “What does any of this have to do with anything at all?”

Dr. Cecil ignored her question for the time being and asked her another. “What about Walter? In the few years he’s known you, has he ever abandoned you?”

“… No.” _He just kept pushing me away any time we grew closer._ “He just has a habit of distancing himself from people….”

“From you specifically.”

Paige nodded. “Yeah.”

Dr. Cecil pushed away from his chair and stood up to crack his back before sitting back down. “So, you mentioned everything was Walter’s fault in regards to Tim’s departure…. Did Walter tell Tim to go to Amman and never come back to work for Scorpion?”

She was quiet for a couple of minutes. “No. I don’t think so… I don’t know though…. All I remember hearing was Walter telling Tim he never belonged with Scorpion and never liked him as a member of the team.”

“But he didn’t tell Tim to leave.”

“No….” She inhaled deeply. “Tim was going to stay…. I was the one who told him to go, but it was only because,” she added quickly, “I could tell he would have been miserable here. With Walter not wanting him on the team, I thought the best thing for Tim would be for him to pursue his strengths in Jordan. Walter might not have told Tim to leave, but he sure as hell gave Tim every reason he could to push him out the door.”

“And that’s why you blame Walter,” Dr. Cecil nodded to himself as he wrote something else down on his notepad. “Had you not said anything to Tim, do you think he would have left on his own?”

“He said he wanted to stay…. So I don’t think so.”

“How did Walter react when Tim decided to leave after all? Was he triumphant?”

Paige shook her head. “No. He was… he was actually torn. He never meant to force Tim to leave. He actually asked Tim to stay from what Toby said to me once…. I think he felt bad for the heated argument earlier in the day and thought what he said had provoked Tim to leave.”

“Interesting,” Dr. Cecil crossed his arms and leaned backwards into his chair. “So, in reality, Walter isn’t at fault for Tim leaving for Amman.”

The woman suddenly felt sick to her stomach. “I guess so.”

Dr. Cecil noted how Paige avoided direct eye contact and could see tears welling up in her eyes. Finally, they were getting somewhere. “And since Walter is not the reason why Tim left, why do you think you blame him as if he was?”

Paige finally looked at Dr. Cecil. “Because I… I felt like I had to blame him…. Punish him for all of the emotional wreckage he’s put me through. Walter isn’t like normal men. He can’t process emotion like others do, so, I don’t know, in the back of my mind, I thought that if he could experience the sort of pain and emptiness he put me through any time he would back away from a potential relationship opportunity, then he would finally understand why I chose Tim.”

“I see… So you don’t really love Tim.”

“I never have. I like him, yes, and he’s a good man, but I can’t picture much of a future with him.”

Dr. Cecil didn’t like tearing apart his clients’ emotional walls, but it was necessary, and he was certain he was almost where he needed to be to build Paige Dineen back up. “I wonder how Tim would feel if he found out you were dating him as a ploy to punish Walter.”

“What?!” Paige’s eyes widened, and her eyebrows lifted to the ceiling. “I never said that!”

“You just said you were punishing Walter and that you never loved Tim,” the doctor chuckled. “It’s not that hard to piece together.”

“I dated Tim because I liked him,” Paige defended herself, but Dr. Cecil could read the lies written in her eyes.

He decided to drop the issue for now and quietly said, “But you don’t love him.”

Her anger softened and tears threatened to fall. “No. I don’t love him.”

“But you do love Walter,” he pressed, but she shook her head.

“No. I did, once, but any feelings I felt for him are gone now.” Paige quickly wiped away a tear and sniffed.

“Do you really believe that?” Dr. Cecil cocked an eyebrow, and Paige was about to speak, but he held his hand up to silence her. “Hear me out first. There is no argument that you and Walter have some sort of history together. Sure, nothing was initiated, but both of you did – _still do_ – have feelings for each other. You said a few sessions ago that Walter, unknowingly, admitted his love for you when he was experiencing a hypoxic episode, so his feelings are no secret between you and me. You also mentioned that you told him you loved him too, but you never said whether or not you meant it. Did you?”

Paige sighed, defeated. “At the time, yes. I did. And I thought… since my relationship with Tim was still very early, that I could discuss it with Walter…. That I could possibly break things off with Tim and then be with Walter, but… Toby stopped me. He said it would have been a mistake.”

“Makes sense,” Dr. Cecil nodded. “If Walter found out what he said to you without being in control of what he was saying, it could embarrass and mortify him…, and that memory _could_ make him angry with you and because he feels so much – it could drive him over the edge.”

“And we don’t need a repeat of that,” Paige muttered to herself. Dr. Cecil pretended not to hear.

Dr. Cecil looked at his watch and then smiled. “We’re almost out of time, so please, if you will, enlighten me. You’ve made it pretty clear that you don’t love Tim, and you seem to think you’re not in love with Walter, but I beg to differ. Your underlining fear is abandonment, and if you were in love with Tim, you would have done anything in your power to convince him to stay, correct?”

“If I had been in love with him, then yes. I would… but not solely because of me, but for my son, too.” Paige answered honestly.

“Now consider this…. If Walter, for whatever reason, was offered a job opportunity halfway around the world, and he decided to take it, what would you do? Would you beg him to stay? Would you follow him? Or, would you let him leave?” Dr. Cecil noted the slight hint of panic in her eyes. Before she answered him, he already knew her answer.

Paige flashed back to the time she planned to move to Maine with Drew and remembered how Walter begged and pleaded her not to take Ralph away from Scorpion. When he had lost the battle, he had almost lost his life, and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing him to anything. “I’d… I’d ask him to stay…., but if he couldn’t,” a tear fell from her left eye, “then I’d uproot our lives in LA and would follow him wherever he’d go…. He’s the most constant father figure in my son’s life…. If Walter was to ever leave, it would crush Ralph dearly.”

“And it would crush you too.”

“More than you would know,” she admitted quietly as another tear fell. She inhaled deeply and gently dabbed her cheeks with her fingers.

“And why is that?”

Paige closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. “Because I love him.”

“And because you love him, you’re scared to lose him, and _that’s_ why you’ve been pushing him away… why you’ve been distant with him… why you’re subconsciously making him suffer. The more you drift apart from him, the more you protect your heart from being burned.” Dr. Cecil leaned forward and clasped his hands together as he gave Paige his full attention. “But don’t you see?” He exclaimed loudly, causing the woman to jump a little, “Pushing Walter away – even if you are trying to guard your heart – is a far worse scenario than the alternative, Paige.”

“I don’t understand.” Paige’s heart sank deeper.

“When Drew left, how did you feel afterwards?”

“At first?” Paige inhaled deeply and exhaled softly. “Terrible. Miserable. Broken. But then, with time, when I finally realized him leaving wasn’t my fault, I felt better, and I made sure to give Ralph as much love as I could to compensate for his father’s absence in his life.”

“And if Walter decided to leave because he couldn’t handle your cold shoulder anymore, how do would you feel then?” Dr. Cecil knew he was getting somewhere. He just had to poke and prod a little bit more.

“Devastated. I mean,” she shrugged, “if Walter was to leave because of the way I’ve been treating him – when he never deserved it, then it would be my fault. It would have been something I could have contr—Oh.” She paused and blinked back her tears. “I get it now.” She swallowed thickly. “Dr. Cecil?”

“Yes?”

“Can I be honest about something?”

“Of course,” Dr. Cecil smiled warmly.

Paige let out another shaky breath and sighed as she leaned forward and faced the psychologist. “Truth is…. I know Walter’s been seeing you on a weekly basis for a while now…. He might be one of the smartest people in the world,” she let out an emotionless chuckle, “but he’s been charging his sessions with the company’s slush fund – just one of the many accounts I manage for him…. I’m not an idiot. Without you even telling me, it’s pretty clear Walter’s been here because of me… because of how I’ve been treating him….” She closed her eyes briefly as tears began to fall down her cheeks. “Tell me, have my actions… have they… have they depressed Walter? H-has he… ever thought of hurting himself?”

“I can’t answer that question, Paige. You know that.” Dr. Cecil gave her a comforting smile. “Go talk to him. I’m sure he’ll listen.”

“Oh God,” Reality began to sink in. “What if… W-What if…” She had been awful to him this week, constantly reminding him – when she saw him – how mad and angry she was. Two nights ago, when she stopped by the garage to pick up Ralph, she had gotten into a nasty argument with him after she found him downstairs, for once, teaching Ralph some coding trick….

**…**

> _“Ralph, go get in the car.” Her voice was clipped as she stared at Walter with angry eyes._
> 
> _“But Walt was just abo—”_
> 
> _“Don’t argue with me, Ralph!” She pointed to the door. “Now.”_
> 
> _Her son’s face fell, and he slid off of the chair slowly before grabbing his backpack. When she heard the door click behind her, she marched up to Walter, ready to unleash her fury._
> 
> _“Where’s Sly? He’s supposed to be watching Ralph!”_
> 
> _“Ralph called and said his carpool couldn’t bring him here today, and since Sly is sick with food poisoning, he asked me if I could pick him up instead. I tried calling you to see if that was okay – but you didn’t answer. No surprise there. Ralph tried calling too, but apparently, whatever you were doing where you couldn’t answer your phone was much more important than your son.” His voice was cold and distant, and that insult hurt Paige more than she would ever admit. Walter always said she was a good mom to Ralph.... “So, knowing full well you would be pissed at me, I went and picked him up anyway. That was six hours ago, and you were due to pick him up at 7 pm. It’s now 9.”_
> 
> _“I’m well aware what time it is,” she snapped, wanting so badly to ring his neck. “Thank you for picking Ralph up and taking care of him while I was away, but,” she gritted her teeth, “why are you suddenly available when he needs you?! You’ve been AWOL for almost a month now, and you barely come down from that goddamn loft when he’s here. I mean, I understand why you’re keeping your distance from me, but I didn’t think you’d be such a coward that you wouldn’t even spend time with Ralph whenever he’s here!”_
> 
> _Walter scooted his chair backwards abruptly and slammed his hands on the table. “Goddammit, Paige! I don’t spend time with him because you never let me see him! When he’s here, he’s gone within minutes, hanging out with the other members of the team. And when he returns, you pick him up and leave almost instantly! When would I have time to see him?!”_
> 
> _“Don’t you **dare** turn this around on me, Walter O’Brien!” Paige shoved her pointer finger against his chest as hard as she could. “It doesn’t take that long to come downstairs and see him before he leaves, dammit!” _
> 
> _“And it doesn’t take much **effort** for you to bring him early, either!” Walter was roaring, not backing down from the fight. _
> 
> _“The reason I don’t bring him in early is because I don’t want to have to see your stupid face in the process!” There was fire in her eyes, but still, Walter wouldn’t forfeit._
> 
> _“Ya think?! A monkey could have figured that one out!” Walter frowned and moved away from her as he started for the stairs._
> 
> _“Hey! Don’t walk away from me!” Paige grabbed his arm, but he flinched and then ripped it away swiftly._
> 
> _His voice was alarmingly low and much calmer, but he did not turn around to face her. “I’m walking away because I don’t want to say something I’d regret. Go to Ralph, go home and take tomorrow off, and if you really can’t stand the sight of me, then maybe you should look for alternative employment.” His fists clenched, and she wanted to vomit. “And until you make your decision,” he added without looking at her, “Don’t bother coming back….”_
> 
> _And that was the last time she saw him as he walked into the darkness before the door slammed behind him._

**_…_ **

Paige immediately rose to her feet and grabbed her purse. “I… I’ve gotta go!”

And as she raced out of Dr. Cecil Rizzuto’s office, the counselor sighed.

_She’ll be okay._

**_Both_ ** _will be okay._

They’re going to be _just_ fine.

He was sure of it.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Paige never drove so fast as she sped down the highway towards the garage. The driving experience during the LAX case paled in comparison as she passed every vehicle in the opposite lane. “Walter, you better not do anything stupid!” By the time she arrived at the garage, Toby was getting into his car, preparing to leave for the day. Abruptly, she parked her Chevy and climbed out of her car before making her way over to the driver’s side of Toby’s Monte Carlo. He automatically rolled down the window.

“Yes?”

She first looked around and noticed Walter’s car wasn’t around. “Walter. Where is he?”

The shrink shrugged. “No clue. He left about three hours ago. Said he had an errand and would be back whenever.” He paused when she sank against his car and grabbed her heart as she muttered, “Oh thank God.” Toby cocked an eyebrow. “Is everything… okay?”

“Yes,” she nodded as she closed her eyes to compose herself. He was coming back. He told Toby he would be coming back. That had to be a good sign, right? “Everything’s good.”

Toby didn’t seem convinced. “You sure?”

Out of nowhere, she began laughing loudly as she grasped her stomach and hunched over.

“Yo! What’s up with Dineen?” Happy called out as she exited the garage. “Why she laughing so hard.”

“Beats me,” Toby shrugged, and when the couple shared a look of concern, she thought she would die!

Paige eventually let out a shaky breath as she tried to compose herself and pulled on her face with her fingers before straightening her back. “Oh, boy. That felt great. I can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed like that!”

“Neither can we,” Toby and Happy replied synonymously as they both watched her peculiarly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes,” Paige smiled. “I am.” She stretched her arms and back and then headed for the garage. “I think I’m going to wait here a while and get some long overdue paper done. You two enjoy your evening.” Before they could reply, Paige slipped into the garage and closed the door behind her, but she did not go to her desk and did not take a seat on the couch to wait for him.

Slowly, she ascended the stairs and took a seat against the cold floor next to his apartment door and closed her eyes. She wrapped herself in her arms and hummed softly as she waited for Walter to return.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 

**WriterFreak001:**

Wow… I never expected this chapter to be so long! It’s almost twice the size of the previous chapter!

One more installment! :)

Please review and let me know what you think! :)

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**FINALLY, I have a new computer I am satisfied with!!! :)**

**Thank you for the love and support for this story, and I hope you enjoy this next installment! :)**

* * *

 

** Is it Enough? **

**Written by WriterFreak001**

****

** Part 3 **

**~ S** **CORPION ~**

It had been well over four hours since Walter arrived at Paige’s condo, and the fact that she wasn’t home yet sparked an alarming sensation in his stomach, wondering if something bad had happened to her. He had spent the past thirty minutes summoning the courage to call her, but every time he dialed her number, he would hesitate, and his phone would end up resting beside him again. A spontaneous confession from the rush of adrenaline he had experienced earlier would have been easier because before he started waiting for Paige, he wasn’t thinking about any risks or consequences. He was only thinking of her.

And now that he had time to think over this clearly, he wondered if confessing to her in spite of her relationship with Tim would be the smart thing to do. If he decided to go forward with his initial plan to reveal his feelings to her, he would be putting her into an awkward position if she still had even an iota of feelings for him. Did he really want her to break off her relationship with Tim – a seemingly happy one at that – for a schmuck like him? Could he really be that selfish?

He frowned and clenched his fists. No. He couldn’t. He loved her too much to interfere with her happiness again. He already did that once and spiraled into a state of depression as a result. He couldn’t attempt something like that again. Interfering would enrage her more than likely, and he didn’t know if he could bear her anger again.

Sighing, Walter pushed up from his spot on the floor and stretched his muscles, his arms and legs aching from sitting down for so long. He should have gotten up and taken a walk earlier, but he didn’t want to waste a chance meeting Paige earlier. Now, he couldn’t leave sooner.

Instead of the elevator, he took the stairs, needing a small task to do to keep himself focused on anything other than _her_. Counting the steps as he descended them was much more preferable at the moment.

He counted a total of 45 steps before exiting the building.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Walter did not return like Paige thought he would. She had been waiting for hours for him to come back to the garage, but there was not a single peep downstairs. She would have to leave to pick Ralph up soon, and if he wasn’t going to return within the next fifteen minutes, she would have to leave, and she didn’t know if she would be able to find the strength to confront him again.

Yes, of course, she would apologize. That was necessary if she ever considered working with him without arguing about every little thing just because she could. She would tell him she was sorry, and that there was no excuse for her horrible behavior towards him these past few months, but perhaps friendship was their only future. If he could forgive her….

She suddenly froze at the chilly thought.

Paige, until now, never thought about Walter _not_ forgiving her. He always did, eventually, but she had hurt him so much for so long, that it was very possible their relationship was beyond repair. And if that was the case, could she really work for a man who resented her?

She closed her eyes and exhaled softly.

Even if he _did_ forgive her, Walter deserved more. Lately, she sucked at her job, and perhaps, that was one of the reasons why she sucked at being a mother, too. She couldn’t connect to the geniuses like she used to. She couldn’t relate to them anymore. They were constantly annoying her to no end, and there had been times – though she would never admit it to anybody – she wished she could just wring their necks and correct them on their behavior. She used to understand them so well and even found their shenanigans funny, but she was beginning to see she had little tolerance for it anymore.

She should turn in her two weeks today, effective immediately.

With her gone, the team had a better chance reaching their potential.

She eventually pushed herself off of the floor and descended the stairs towards the entrance to the garage. All of this mess would have to wait.

She needed to pick up her son.

**~ SCORPION ~**

Walter could have gone home after he had left Paige’s apartment complex, but he had somehow found himself parking in a small parking lot and walking into an ice cream parlor.

He wasn’t particularly hungry, and he certainly wasn’t in the mood for an ice cream treat, but for some reason, something – as illogical as it sounded – told him he needed to be there. Without getting in line, Walter quietly walked to the back of the small shop and made himself invisible. He took a seat in the furthest corner from the entrance for some peace and quiet and then leaned back against the corner of the wall before pulling out his phone.

No missed calls or voicemails.

For the tenth time since he left Paige’s hallway, he thought about calling her, but for all he knew, she could have changed her number since their last argument, and he didn’t want to chance what little of a relationship they might still have.

For ten minutes, he just sat there doing nothing but occasionally checking his phone for new messages or emails, and for ten minutes, he watched as happy children left the parlor with their parents, and he wondered, briefly, if Ralph ever smiled that way whenever Paige would buy him ice cream.

He couldn’t help but grin at the thought, but when he realized there was a great chance he would never find out, his smile faded instantly. Ignoring the little voice inside his head, he slipped out of his chair and pushed it in before moving away from the table. He suddenly didn’t want to be in this happy place anymore.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and made a quick run for the side exit.

**~ SCORPION ~**

“Mom, I think Walter’s here,” Ralph muttered as he pointed to a black Chevy Malibu a few spaces from Paige’s red one.

Paige glanced to where her son was pointing and shook her head. “Hmmm. Same car, but I doubt he would be here. There’s a closer ice cream parlor near the garage, and besides,” she ruffled her fingers through her son’s hair as they made their way towards the entrance, “he doesn’t even live in this part of LA. Being here would be inefficient for him, don’t you think?”

Ralph sighed. “I guess so.”

As they entered the ice cream shop, Paige could have sworn she saw a man blur out of the building as if his ass was on fire, but she immediately dismissed it as the cashier asked her for her order.

Once their ice cream was served and paid for, Paige followed Ralph and noticed someone’s phone sitting on the table at the farthest spot. “Oh, maybe we should take that to management in case somebody comes by later to pick it up.” Picking it off of the table, she noticed how much it looked like Walter’s phone, but – could it really be his? Curiously, she touched the lock button and the phone’s default lock screen popped up. Walter was the only one she knew who didn’t bother with the display settings of his phone and computer, but… why would Walter be here of all places?

Instead of taking it to management, she curled her fingers around it, ready to slip it into her pocket when the side door instantly burst open. “Hey! That’s mi—” Complete and utter surprise colored the owner’s face as it blanched.

Paige’s throat thickened, and all of the words she had wanted to say to this man when she left running out of Dr. Cecil’s office evaporated as she noticed how thin and almost sickly this man actually looked. Had she really been so blind not to see what her anger was doing to him?

 _Oh, Walter_.

“Walter!” Ralph immediately smiled and ran up to hug the man, while both genius and liaison froze in place, their eyes burning into each other’s like fire.

The boy tightened his grip around his mentor and beamed widely, pretending to be oblivious of the thin suddenly air surrounding the three of them.

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 

**I know I said this would be a three – chapter story, but I thought this would be a good place to leave you guys hanging for more. ;)**

**The next chapter, I SWEAR, will be the final installment to this story.**

**Please let me know what your thoughts are!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was working on a one-shot earlier, but my brain was smashed with a huge case of writer’s block for that story soooo here’s the next installment! :)
> 
> Please remember… this idea was in progress BEFORE Paige and Tim broke up so consider them “still together” at this point.

 

** Is it Enough? **

**Written by WriterFreak001**

****

** Part 4 **

**~ SCORPION ~**

“You look like hell,” were the first four words Paige had spoken to him after a long period of painful silence, and when he had smiled softly in response, she knew she had said the right thing.

“So, do you,” he replied with a quiet chuckle as his hand absentmindedly combed through her son’s hair, something that _did not_ go unnoticed by the boy’s mother. “Have you… have you been well?”

“So-so,” she replied honestly and brushed her fingers through her hair slowly. “You?”

He forced a smile and nodded quickly. “Same.”

“Oh, good,” she smiled simply, knowing he was lying. “That’s good.”  

“Yeah.”

“Yeah….”

There was another long pause between them, and though Ralph desperately wanted to intervene and _accidentally_ bump them into each other, but he decided not to get involved, knowing they needed to figure out this grownup mess themselves. “Well,” Walter shoved his hands into his pockets and slowly made his way towards the door, “I guess I’ll be going then…” He waited a beat in the off chance she would stop him and then offered her a sad smile. “It was nice seeing you, Paige.” He then turned his attention to Ralph and knelt before ruffling his hair. “You too, buddy.” He flashed a proud smile at the boy before rising to feet, taking another back step towards the door. “Take care, and,” Walter cleared his throat and pushed open the exit, turning only slightly away from them, “see you around, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Paige’s voice was quiet, almost too quiet. “See ya.”

He waited a split second longer as if he expected her to stop him from leaving, but when nothing happened, he sighed quietly and walked away slowly, wishing – desperately wishing – she would forgive him someday because he absolutely refused to move on and let go of her.

He was learning, very painfully, that no matter how much he had tried to purge her from his mind and forget everything special about her, it was impossible for him to walk away from love. Strictly and irrevocably impossible.

As he unlocked his car and climbed inside, he didn’t notice how she was watching him from the window. How she bit her lip and clutched her heart as he ignited the engine. But even if he had managed to catch glimpse of her watery eyes as he drove away and faded into traffic, he wouldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Paige was obviously still mad at him.

_Wasn’t she?_

**~ SCORPION ~**

“Mom…,” Ralph frowned at his mother and grabbed her wrist gently to shake her out of her daze. When she finally came to and looked at him, he squeezed his fingers around hers. “Can we go to the garage today? I wanna show Walter my solar system project.”

“Maybe tomorrow,” she replied quietly as if she was still not altogether there.

He decided to take a risk. “Mom?”

“Hm?”

“Why are you and Walter fighting?”

His mother instantly gave him her undivided attention. She even forced a smile for effect. “We’re not fighting, baby.”

“Mom, I’m almost 12, and I’m certainly not stupid. I can plainly see that you and Walter are fighting. I haven’t said anything about it because I thought the two of you would sort things out by now, but… you’ve been avoiding him for weeks, months even.” Ralph pursed his lips as Paige dropped to her knees to meet him at his eye level. He suddenly looked away from her as he continued speaking. “W-why can’t things get better between the two of you, Mom?” His voice suddenly shook with emotion. “Is it… Is it me again?”

Paige’s left brow quivered as confusion settled over her. “Ralphy?”

He swallowed thickly. “You and Dad grew distant because of me…. And now, you and Walter…”

“No, Ralph. Oh my God, no. That’s not it at all!” Paige exclaimed as she immediately placed her ice cream onto the floor next to her and cupped her son’s face in her hands. Never had she seen so much panic and fear in her son’s eyes. “You hear me, baby? That’s not it _at all._ ” She pulled him into her arms and held him tightly. “Why would you even think that? Walter adores you, sweetheart. You must know that.”

He nodded slowly. “I do but… for the brief time I’m with you at the garage before I hang out with Sly or Happy and Toby, I only saw him once or twice in the last few months. And those were the two times he had picked me up from school when Sylvester wasn’t able. I miss him, Mom. I wish he had stayed today, then we could have had a fun time together like we used to. But he left before I could summon the courage to ask him…. I’ve felt distant from him lately…,” Ralph didn’t want to talk about it anymore as he avoided his mom’s gaze. “I was so happy to see him a few minutes ago…, but…,” he inhaled and exhaled deeply, “then he started to leave, and it was like I couldn’t speak anymore.”

“You listen to me very carefully, Ralph,” Paige rubbed the soft skin under his eyes and smiled softly as tears prickled her eyes. When his eyes met hers, she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “Any distance you feel from Walter…, that’s,” she rubbed her lips together and fluttered her eyelashes to blink back her tears as her nose burned deeply, “well, that’s my fault.” She combed her fingers through Ralph’s thick hair and lowered her voice. She decided not to tell her son the whole truth because he was too young to understand why Paige felt like she needed to guard her heart… why she thought being mad at him would be easier than… than loving him…. “I was mad at Walter,” she eventually added, “for selfish and idiotic reasons, and as a result, I began pushing him away. I realize I screwed up, and I know now that my anger towards him was uncalled for. He didn’t do anything wrong. I just… I chose to be mad at him for something I blamed him for because I didn’t want to admit the _real_ reason I was angry because I was ashamed of it.”

Paige sniffed quietly and pulled Ralph back into her arms. “If you want to be mad at someone for this mess, be mad at me, Ralphy. I was the one who didn’t want to see Walter, and because of that, my decisions unknowingly extended out to you too. For that, I’m so sorry.” She finally closed her eyes, and tears fell down her cheeks. “I was an idiot.”

Ralph stayed silent for an uncomfortable amount of time for the liaison, but eventually, he spoke her name softly. “Mom?”

She cleared her throat. “Y-Yes?”

“Do you… want things to get better?”

Paige nodded slowly. “Yes, baby. I do…, but… I don’t know if they can. So much has happened. I’ve… I’ve hurt him in ways you wouldn’t understand yet.”

There was a brief silence between mother and son, and then, “Mom?”

“Yes, Ralphy?”

“I don’t believe in fate or serendipity or anything like that, but…,” He glanced at the device next to her knee and waited until his mother’s eyes were right where he wanted them to be, and then he grinned widely at her. “Guess we’ll be going to the garage today after all.”  

Paige quietly gasped.

And then a sudden, brilliant smile colored Paige’s lips.

Ralph might not believe in fate, but she sure did.

_It must be a sign, right?_

**~ SCORPION ~**

Walter reprimanded himself for leaving so quickly. He didn’t allow Ralph to spend some extra time with him like he should have, and he knew as soon as he left, that he was letting the boy down. He promised to mentor the child, and even though his relationship with Paige was strained, it shouldn’t have to be for his relationship with Ralph.

If only he wasn’t such a coward.

Walter dug the heels of his hands into his eyes and groaned deeply, wishing he hadn’t seen them. Things would have been easier to handle if he wasn’t reminded of her wonderful lavender scent… the softness of her voice… the determination in her eyes…. God, she was perfect. Absolutely perfect, and he was a moron for not expressing his love earlier. They could have avoided all of this. They could have avoided the issues with Linda and Tim, and they could have been happy. He wholeheartedly believed he could – one day – make Paige happy, but… if she wouldn’t forgive him….

“I’m sorry,” a soft voice had spoken, and he immediately groaned.

_Oh great, now I’m hearing her in my mind…._

Keeping his palms over his eyes, he chose to ignore the Paige inside his head as he continued to mope. There was no way Paige would be here. Absolutely no way. Paige being here… being inside his loft… Ha! The whole concept was… was ludicrous!

But then he felt the bed shift a little, and he froze.

_P-Paige?_

He removed one hand away from his right eye and then his left and nearly choked on his inhaled spit as her closeness startled him. Walter instantly lurched forward with surprise, finding himself knee-to-knee with her, her eyes never leaving his.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, her eyes brimming with tears as her lips quivered with emotion. “Everything I said, have done… They were horrible things, and I’m truly, truly sorry,” she closed her eyes momentarily and wiped away a stray tear. “I know…,” she inhaled deeply, “I know I can’t ever take back anything, but… being mad at you for so long for something so stupid felt awful and made me sick every time I said or did something to hurt you.” She boldly reached forward and covered his left hand with hers. “Will you forgive me? C-Can you… Can you forgive me?”

Walter exhaled the breath he didn’t know he was holding and smiled softly, already knowing his answer. “For you, always.” He slowly brought his other hand to cover hers and squeezed her palm. “But… can you also forgive me?”

“Walter,” Paige stopped him, her left thumb rubbing over his knuckles, “You did nothing wrong. There’s nothing to forgive.”

Walter frowned in disagreement. “I was an ass to Tim. Th-Though it was not my intent to force him to leave for Jordan, I… I did contribute to his thought process when I said he would never be a part of Scorpion. He might have said it was his decision to leave, but you were right. Tim’s departure was all my fault. If I had… been nicer to him… maybe…,” he flared his nose and closed his eyes, “maybe he would have stayed, and maybe… maybe you and I could have been still friends.”

“Walter,” Paige muttered in a soft, shaky voice, “We _are_ friends. _Special friends_. Sometimes,” she offered him a small smile, “Sometimes friends go through rough patches just like any other relationship. I know this is hard to believe at this point, but I’d like to think of you as my best friend, Walter. My _very best_ friend.”

 _But obviously, nothing more…_ Walter nodded but added, “Regardless,” he looked away from her, “It’s my fault Tim left, and that fact is always going to place a wedge between us.”

Paige shook her head. “No, it isn’t. I mean, yes, you did do those things and probably made him feel less welcomed, but he was willing to stay in LA for me, but as I watched him throughout the day after he made that decision, I could tell Scorpion wasn’t where his heart was. I came to realize that he would thrive better in Amman, and if it wasn’t for me… If I hadn’t changed my mind and encouraged him to go, he would have stayed. So… Tim’s departure was _not_ your fault. It’s mine.” She squeezed his hand again and frowned as he continued to look elsewhere. “I was a jerk for making you think otherwise, Walter.”

Walter remained silent for a few minutes before finally gazing into her eyes. “I… I accept your apology, but…,” he inhaled slowly, “why?”

Paige cocked an eyebrow. “Why what?”

He cleared his throat and pursed his lips as if he was trying to find the right words to say without messing up. “I-If you don’t blame me… If you _really_ don’t blame me for Tim’s absence, then, why did you? W-Were you… were you still mad at me because of Tahoe?”

“Of course not.” Paige’s silver earrings jingled as she shook her head again. “I forgave you for that long before Christmas.”

“Then why?” He pressed, needing some sense of closure before considering rebuilding his friendship with her.  

Paige exhaled as tears threatened to spill from her eyes again. “Do you mind… Can we…,” she bit her lip and composed herself. This was not a time to be weak. “Let’s go for a walk, okay?”

Walter blinked at her unexpected request but a grin colored his lips in response. “I’d like that.”

**~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I said this was the final chapter, but methinks there will be one more. This chapter ended up longer than I thought so there will be one more after this! (This time I mean it!! LMAO)


End file.
